The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-09-24
THE ETHICAL DOCTRINE AND CIVIL
GOVERNMENT.
BY REV. A. N. ALCOTT.
(Elgin, I'D

pamphlet of Rev. AN. Alcott, on the Prob
lem of Fellowship in Religion, Study of the
present Unitarian situation in the West:
If you start either a false or a true
spirit, idea or principle in the world in
one quarter, it tends to work out event
ually into all the relations of life. Our
| life is one whole. We cannot cut it
up into intrans mu table departments as
phrenologists have. endeavOred to map
the brain; or as some metaphysicians
have divided almost mechanically be-
tween intellect, emotion and will. The
souls life is one whole. What a man
in his spirit and principles is i'll the
state he tends to be in religion and
what he is in religion he tends to be in
the state. Suppose an American cit
iZen were to propose in the interests of
''free reason" and 'full and co-equal
fellowship in the state, the removal of
all republican doctrines and ideas from
the frames of our national and state
constitutions, and from our laws; be-
cause the presence Of such doctrines
and ideas in these places and the neces-
sity of subscription TO them in some
form, was destructive of Fellowship"
and restrictive of ''liberty," and be-
cause men wished to come in who were
not prepared to subscribe themselves
as American citizens. Suppose it were
said in arguing for this method, that
the original republican poise, being in
the direction of a genuine free dom, the
principles have had constant tendency
to exteIminate the doctrines, till now
the time has come to advance to the
full logical terminus of the original
principles; and, if we Greatly mean"
freedom, to admit to citizenship with
out oath of fealty; to republicanism, as
such, monarchists, aristocrats, imper-
ialists, anarchists, as such, provided
only they can subscribe to freedom, fell
lowship and character in the state. We
should then have proposition in pol
tics exactly analogous to that of the
Ethical Unitarians in religion. Each
citizen would of course be at liberty to
believe and to do what he might please,
but he would also be at liberty to sub
NIT to, and endure III that the remain
der might please The most grievous
of al tyrannies. most aborninable
of all despotisms, would be the result.
1t would be anarchy in the state, just
as the method we are considering is an
archy in religion.
Blackstone has exploded this notion
of liberty and fellowship forever in a
single paragraph; and gives us in its
stead a definition of the only liberty
possible, it would seem, in associative
life. He says "But every man when
he enters into society gives up part of
his natural liberty as the price of so
valuable a purchase, and in consider
tion of receiving the advantages of mu
tual commerce obliges himself to con-
form to those laws which the commu-
nifty has thought proper to establish.
And this species of legal obedience and
conformity is infinitely more desirable
than that wild and savage liberty which
is sacrificed to obtain it. For no man
that considers moment would wish to
retain the absolute and uncontrolled
] Of u fnr no 70 1Nln
the consequence of which is that every
other man would also have the same
power, and there would be no security
to individuals in any of the employ
ments of life. Political, therefore, or
civil liberty, which is that of a mem
ber of society, is no other than natural
liberty so far restrained by human laws
land no farther as is necessary and eX-
pedient for the general advantage of
the public Now similar principle
must govern if man lives an assOcia-
tive life in religion. Otherwise, if he
proposes to live q hermit life. But in
religious organizations man must live
an associative life, and, if he enter them
at all, he must yield something for the
sake of society with his fellows. The
very unique popularity of the Ethical
Unitarian idea is that it proposes or
ganiZatiOn, association, and absolute
unqualified indiyidualism at the same
time. In effect this is to propose the
dissolution of all organization.
Now tell me what essential differ
ence there is between the method of
the Ethical Unitarians for realizing
freedom and fellowship in the church,
and the method of political anarchy
for realizing freedom and fellowship
in the state? What is the anarch-
istic doctrine? Let their mOttos and
witnesses tell. The motto of the An
archist, edited by Engel, was Govern
ment we hate" Its views were Lib
erty, equali ty and brotherhood can only
be established by anarchy" The in
scriptions on the red flags were "In
the absence of law all men are free"
Government is for slaves" EVERY
government is a conspiracy against the
people," Down with all law" Hear
Mrs. Holiness definition of anarchy
during the great trial; Perfect liberty
to live according to natures laws"
Not much Blackstone in that "You